Supplement, Fall 1999

NWRA Updateassociation viewpoint

A Changing World

by Dave Taylor

Its a changingworld! is a comment we make all the time. Well, a really big change is going
to take place at the National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) Conference in Las
Vegas, March 19-21, 2000. We are going to have a trade show, Spring Glass Expo 2000,
and Key Communica-tions Inc. will put on various seminars, in addition to the conference.

Our members have asked for a trade show since the first conference in 1996 because they
want to receive information that trade shows can provide. It is gratifying to see that our
members have always wanted access to as much information as possible. However, we
werent able to figure out how to make a trade show work financially because there
were not enough prospective exhibitors. However, with the help of Key Communications, the
publisher of USGlass magazine, Window Film magazine Windshield and Glass Repair
Magazine andAGRR magazine, there will be a NWRA Conference, a trade
show and various seminars. Registration for the NWRAs Windshield Repair Conference
will include Spring Glass Expo 2000. There has already been a widespread interest in
exhibiting and the organizers anticipate that a large number of exhibitors will be
present.

The Spring Glass Expo 2000 will open on late Sunday afternoon for the early arrivals
and will again be open on Monday afternoon after the conclusion of the NWRA Conference and
seminars. In addition to windshield repair and window film exhibitors, we are inviting
auto glass replacement exhibitors, software companies, etc.

The National Glass Associations (NGA) annual trade show, NGA Show 2000, will take
place immediately prior to our conference and trade show, March 14-17, at the Las Vegas
Convention Center. Attendees will be able to attend the NGAs annual trade show, the
NWRA Conference, the Spring Glass Expo 2000 and various seminars in Las Vegas. This will
give everyone in the repair industry an opportunity to research their opportunities.

The theme of the NWRA Conference is Keep Your Customers. With competition
heating up in the repair industry, retaining customers is becoming a significant issue. In
the future, successful windshield repair companies will have to retain their customers, as
well as gain new ones. Our seminars are geared to provide information about this
opportunity.

Knowledge is the underlying requirement for successfully competing in the marketplace.
The competition is now fiercer than ever, and every windshield repair technician who
wishes to be successful will have to know a lot more about their industry in the future.
At the NWRA, we try to provide our members with the information they need to make informed
decisions.

Our conference seminars have included information about many subjects, including some
very sensitive topics. Ex-panding our conference to include a trade show provides our
members with another opportunity to expand their knowledge.

Dave Taylor is president of the
NWRA and secretary/treasurer of Cindy Rowe Auto Glass in Harrisburg, PA.